Notes on the Geography of China: Zhouzhuang

The guide books say that Zhouzhuang, between Shanghai and Suzhou, is an unspoiled example of the kind of town that once dotted the Yangtze Delta. The Will to Believe is strong, but, as usual, if something's too good to be true it's probably untrue. Zhouzhuang these days is a tourist production. Can you get a sense of what the place was like? Probably better from these pictures than from a visit to the place.